A very exciting project run by Chuckle Productions, sponsored by Sovereign, has continued to show signs of success after the spring school term ended with promising results. If you haven’t been following the initiative, you can learn about it here.
Lucy Davies at Chuckle gives us an update:
“The second half term has been both, stimulating and interesting, for the children. Our key theme was imaginative play, which has sparked some great creativity from the pupils. It also touched on group games, building on the lessons learnt in the previous term’s sessions.”
- Imaginative play
Imaginative play is an important skill for negotiating the playground as children use role-play to explore the world around them, practice social situations and build their confidence to express themselves.During the half term, children were encouraged to take part in games and activities that promoted use of the imagination. It involved work in pairs and groups, and we asked children to act out scenarios and make up their own. We also involved children in practicing the skills needed to break into games on the playground, as well as include others. - Group games
Group games were also undertaken and these were split into observation games, ball skill games and races. The observation games built on raising pupils’ awareness of their environments, reading their peers’ actions and movements, confidence in leading group actions and turn taking (or indeed, being comfortable with not being chosen to lead a game).Ball games have continued to build on gross motor skills, hand eye coordination and working as a team. By repeating some of the skills from the first half term, the pupils have been able to practice these skills and become more confident in participating within the group.
Lucy commented: “The children have really impressed the Chuckle team with their creativity this half term. For example, one of our quieter children has demonstrated a growth in confidence, by instigating and sustaining conversation within the group. Another has been able to use the group’s calming down strategy when prompted to focus his actions and excitement.”
Children were asked to re-answer a series of questions that they had been asked at the start of the project, with positive outcomes being found as a result of the activities. The children were also asked to comment on what they feel they had learned since beginning the Chuckle lunch club. This instigated some very positive replies, including:
- I feel that I have learned to make more friends with everyone in different classes
- I feel that I have learned how to help people when they are lonely
- I feel that I have learned to be kind, to listen.
For more information on the Chuckle Productions, please visit www.chuckleproductions.org.
